Remnants of the US Air Force Base in Tachikawa, Japan

The abandoned US Air Force (USAF) base in Tachikawa is a bramble-choked memento from the early days of Japanese/American war and peace. It was annexed by the USA shortly after World War II, in co-operation with the still-active nearby Japan Army (SDF) Base, then abandoned in the 1970’s as the Vietnam war came to a close.

Its three huge chimneys are still visible from the exterior, brick-red and lined up like masts on a rudderless ship, slowly sinking deeper into the smothering sea of green jungle. Its airstrip now swims with weeds, and bamboo forests have grown through the foundations where buildings once stood, patrolled by old men on bicycles keeping a watchful eye on the 10-foot perimeter fence.

Storage bunker, one of the few remaining structures on base.

As with the Fuchu Air Base, I’ve been here before. The first time was some two years ago, in the early days of my haikyo exploration. I must have walked the perimeter circle 4 or 5 times, as dusk fell around me, wondering if I had the chutzpah to scale the fence. At no point was it easy to climb, and at no point in an isolated spot. It got dark, and I became antsy. The guard in the guard box out front didn’t leave, except to occasionally drive carefully around the interior, or cycle around the fence. In the end, I gave up. It didn’t seem worth it, so I backed off.

Map of the whole base. The central part is now the huge Showa Kinen Park, site of Tokyo`s only full disc golf course. The left oblong, 1km long, is the abandoned base. The right oblong is the still-active SDF base.

The second time, around a year later, I arrived with my chutzpah turned on, knowing what to expect. After circling the base to my desired sport, I just went at it. Over a fence, and in.

After that, my memory’s a series of frantic snapshots as I ran around looking for things to shoot. It started to rain, reducing visibility, and that just amped me up further. Roads criss-crossed in every direction, and I knew that the old security guard could use any of them. I didn’t doubt I could out-run him if it came to a chase- but I didn’t want it to come to a chase.

And so even with the sense of real risk pretty absent, I still ran from cover to shelter like a hunted animal. When taking shelter in buildings, I became acutely aware of my heart thumping, and more worried every second about stepping back out of my new-found safety, and into the open.

Exciting.

This massive bunker hosted me for around 30 minutes, as I planned my next line of attack-

It is pretty huge, covered in ivy, and built to withstand serious punishment. The walls and doors are several feet thick.

Covered in ivy.

The central part of the bunker had probably once been an office, with desks, machinery controls, and grilled windows looking into the hangar-like storage area alongside.

The two doors left and right lead to the hangars.

Filing cabinets belie it was an office.

Empty storage shelves in the bunker’s back room

The hangars either side were filled with old equipment. The southern wing (below) had what looks like a lot of air conditioning equipment. The northern wing had chairs and assorted engine parts. In the back was a staircase, going up to the roof.

Of course I clambered over everything to get to it. and up- affording me the best view of the remains of the base anyone’s had in years.

Elevator and lift gear in storage.

Looking back towards the entrance, the stairs to be climbed.

Up the stairs.

At the top of the stairs was a small room, smashed in rot and weather, then more stairs, then the roof.

Signalman`s room?

Rickety stair-case.

One of the hazards of haikyo- stairways whose rungs have fallen away. I walked with great care.

On the roof the view was excellent, dominated by the forest, and the three chimneys.

Roof and chimneys.

Roof ruins.

After leaving that sanctuary, again I was on the run, bobbing in and out of the overgrown forest and through clumps of bamboo, head ducking in search of the old dude on his bicycle. I heard there were immense apocalypse-emergency tunnels underneath the old base, perhaps some kind fall-out shelter for Tokyo’s elite. I saw a few hatch-like structures emerging above ground, which had no doors of any kind. Could those be the air circulators, for such a massive complex?

This from Wikipedia.

Consolidation resulted in the establishment of the Tachikawa Disaster-Preparedness Base, involving hundreds of miles of tunnels designed to support 5,000 top government members for a year in the event of a catacylsmic disaster. The bunker building is one of only a few remaining structures on the large base lot.

I didn’t linger around them.

After a while I got pretty turned around inside. Even seeing the three massive chimneys, that I’d seen clearly from outside, didn’t really help orient me.

The guards had buckled a ladder into the chimney flues, so it is possible to climb up inside them.

I climbed up inside one, and again briefly relaxed. What were these chimneys for, remnants of some kind of power plant, or a waste incinerator? Did they cremate bodies here?

Inside the flue.

Looking out.

Looking at the inside of the base of the chimney.

Looking down at the base of the chimney.

Dreaming of the past.

After the towers, dusk was falling and I really thought I was pushing my luck to stay any longer. I wasn’t sure any more which way I’d come or which way was out- all the straight grid streets of the base looked equally overgrown, and I’d zig-zagged through so much bamboo I had no idea where my entry climbing fence had been.

I got out my iPhone and pulled up the map feature. Then, working myself up into a lather, I started to run.

Which way was I going? Where was the exit?

Watching the little screen with me inching down an overgrown road, peeking up to check I wasn’t slaloming into some obstacle, I felt weirdly like a World of Warcraft character running to his next battle. I ran in a straight line for a few minutes, until at last one of the easiest fences- also closest to the guard’s box- emerged, and I plunged for it. At last I hit it, vaulted over the top, and landed on the legal side, out of breath.

An old lady looked at me confusedly. I nodded, and went on my way. So it goes.

History

The Tachikawa base started life as an Imperial Japanese Army airfield, though that role later morphed to also cater to civilians by the 1920’s. In 1929 Japan`s first regularly scheduled commercial air service departed from this base to Osaka, a three hour commute that was in operation for 4 years, until the service was moved to Haneda airport on Tokyo Bay. After 1933 the base returned to being an Army airfield, and remained so until the end of World War II. During the war it was defended by the Shintentai, an anti-aircraft kamikaze group. Near the end of the war Tachikawa was subjected to heavy bombing, and in the aftermath was occupied by the US.

From Wikipedia– Disaster struck Tachikawa on June 18, 1953 when a U.S. Air Force C-124 Globemaster II transport experienced an engine failure on takeoff, crashing shortly after. The accident claimed the lives of 129 people, and was the deadliest air disaster in history at the time. With a runway only 1,500m long, Tachikawa was not adequate for the largest aircraft, and the U.S. decided to extend the runway into the neighboring town of Sunagawa.

The July 8, 1957 Sunagawa Riots resulted in cancellation of the plan. The U.S. instead developed Tama Airfield (the present-day Yokota Air Base) and moved its operations there. By 1969, the U.S. had largely left Tachikawa, and in 1977, after the end of the Vietnam War, it returned the base to Japanese control.

The Japanese government put the land to a variety of uses. The Japan Ground Self-Defense Force established a base there, as did the Japan Coast Guard, the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department and the Tokyo Fire Department.

Comments 459

My name is Larry Schwing and my father was stationed at Tachi from 65-67. We lived at Kanto Mura and attended 5th thru 6th grade there. I can remember my science teacher named Mr. Morwaki (sp), he took us on school weekend field trips throughout Japan. Wish I could have recorded all of the trips and taken pictures. In Kanto Mura we could buy candy from the Mingko Store through the fence. We moved to Tachi for my 7th grade year. My best friend at Tachi was the Commander of the 6100th Support Wing Brigadier General Ault’s son Jimmy…think that was his name, but his sister went to Yamato HS and sang opera all the time…YUK! The big running back for Yamato HS, Tom Lang, lived across the street. Only time I got into any trouble was when Gen. Ault’s son got his father’s staff car, complete with the two star flag mounted to the front, to take us to the amusement park Yomiuri Land for the day. When we returned my father, who was a Major at the time, was with Gen. Ault at their house…not fun! Great memories and loved my time in Japan, especially the trips into Tokyo to stay the weekend at the American Sanno Hotel. My father drove once, but we took the train there after.

Great site…thanks Michael. My name is Larry Schwing and my father was stationed at Tachi from 65-67. We lived at Kanto Mura and attended 5th thru 6th grade there. I can remember my science teacher named Mr. Morwaki (sp), he took us on school weekend field trips throughout Japan. Wish I could have recorded all of the trips and taken pictures. In Kanto Mura we could buy candy from the Mingko Store through the fence. We moved to Tachi for my 7th grade year. My best friend at Tachi was the Commander of the 6100th Support Wing Brigadier General Ault’s son Jimmy…think that was his name, but his sister went to Yamato HS and sang opera all the time…YUK! The big running back for Yamato HS, Tom Lang, lived across the street. Only time I got into any trouble was when Gen. Ault’s son got his father’s staff car, complete with the two star flag mounted to the front, to take us to the amusement park Yomiuri Land for the day. When we returned my father, who was a Major at the time, was with Gen. Ault at their house…not fun! Great memories and loved my time in Japan, especially the trips into Tokyo to stay the weekend at the American Sanno Hotel. My father drove once, but we took the train there after.

I was stationed at Tachi, 65-67, would have arrived probably in June of 65, and left to be discharged at Travis in May or June of 67. Duty was in the 1503rd command communications center, headquarter building commanded by Colonel Howe. My supervisor was Sgt. Dineen, and I know one of the other guys was Busby, don’t remember any other names. When i first got there I guess there was no room in the barracks, so I was at Yamato AS for awhile. if memory serves me right, when I got on main base, room mate was Cantrell. Lots of good memories, would like to go back and walk around sometime.

I was 10 years old in 1960 and my stepfather was stationed at Tachikawa. I was in the 5th grade at the school on base and my teacher was Miss Canino. I will never forget her till the day I die, she made that much of an impression. At first fear, then after a few month nothing but respect and admiration. There hasn’t been a time in my life I didn’t think about her. We lived in a small community of off-base houses (about 4 little houses on a small hill overlooking rice farms) built for military families I believe in Ashima, about a mile or so from Tachikawa. Our houses were accessed from a main road via a small dirt road with a little bicycle shop on the left. My neighbor had two girls, one was Rhonda Jean Lynch. Anyone know her or of these little houses?

I was assigned to Tachikawa 8-1-1958. I extended 1 yr & stayed till 1961. I was born in Nov 1939. We flew to Japan on a 1049 prop job or the Air force C-121. I was in aircraft refueling or POL as it was called. I refueled C-124’s, C-118’s C54’s C-46’s C47’s. C-130 & we got in some C-133’s which was bigger. One day I got called in the office & they asked me about the last C-133 I had refueled with JP-4. As it turned out many of the C-133’s disappeared at sea with no trace so they didn’t fly them much after that. Now planes are refueled with a single point nozzle where all the planes at Tachi had to be refueled over the wing so U had to back up to both sides of the plane. A- C-124 would take 80 gallons of 1100 Oil after an oil change. We got this oil in 55 gal drum & ever so often we would have to go to fuel storage & unload these drums by hand. We hated that job. We had 2 typhoons while I was there. We had to refuel all the planes so they could leave the base. I can remember power poles being down on the flight line. I got stationed at Takhali, Thailand in 1965 so I may write about that another time. I am subscribed to SAC veterans on Facebook. I was stationed at Dow AFB ME and was married there. I live near Charleston, SC now near Chas-AFB.